Cameron Green endured a difficult first half of IPL 2026, facing heavy criticism for his limited contribution with the ball. Even after he began bowling regularly, the Australian all-rounder struggled to make an impact, leading to speculation that KKR could alter their combination with Rovman Powell available as an option. Instead, the franchise chose to persist with Green and left out Blessing Muzarabani.
A six-day break in the schedule proved to be a turning point. Green rediscovered form with both bat and ball and he carried that momentum into KKR’s must-win clash against Mumbai Indians. The 26-year-old struck early by dismissing Ryan Rickelton and Naman Dhir, before taking a sharp catch to remove Rohit Sharma, leaving Mumbai at 23/3 after four overs.
Before the end of the powerplay, Suryakumar Yadav too made his way back to the pavilion. The India captain made just 15 runs off six balls as Saurabh Dueby picked up his second wicket of the night, leaving Mumbai to 41/4. He spent the majority of the season on the bench before making his IPL debut against RCB. The 28-year-old has shown glimpses of his class in the first couple of games but against Mumbai, he proved deadly.
Notably, the hosts needed a good start with the ball as they have a very poor record against Mumbai. The three wickets should give the team plenty of confidence, particularly on a slightly two-paced pitch.
KKR make one change to playing XI
Kolkata have made just one change to the playing XI as Varun Chakaravarthy made his return. The star spinner isn’t entirely fit as he was spotted having difficulty even walking, yet he chose to play the must-win affair. The surface is expected to support the spinners as the game progresses and at this point, KKR will definitely be confident of their chances.
Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Ryan Rickelton, Rohit Sharma (wk), Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Will Jacks, Corbin Bosch, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Raghu Sharma
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Ajinkya Rahane (c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wk), Cameron Green, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Kartik Tyagi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Saurabh Dubey
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